The EU has demanded a reform of Ukraine's notoriously corrupt and politicized prosecution service and called for making the procedure for picking the prosecutor general less political and more merit-based. Meanwhile, anti-corruption activists and pro-reform lawmakers have accused the Ukrainian authorities of sabotaging rule of law reforms and resisting the demand for depoliticizing the Prosecutor General's Office.

Key developments on Oct. 19: * Ukraine evacuates wounded soldier from front line by drone for first time, military says * Ukraine brings home 23 children from Russian occupation * Ukraine, Russia nearing agreement on evacuation of civilians from occupied Oleshky, ombudsman says * 3 waves of Russian missiles slam Kyiv overnight, killing at least 1, injuring 8 * 'Absolute atrocity' — Russian drone strike on park in Kharkiv Oblast kills children * Russia strikes 28 critical energy facilities

At least 550,000 households lost power overnight, Zelensky said, following a coordination meeting on the situation in Ukraine's regions.

Russian strikes on Ukrainian data centers could backfire, experts have told the Kyiv Independent, as Kyiv's retaliatory attacks have exposed vulnerabilities in how Moscow has organized IT infrastructure. On Sept. 23, a Russian attack damaged a Kyiv data center housing network equipment for internet provider UTELS, causing service disruptions. The attack also affected cloud service Fex.net and disrupted internet access for around 100,000 households in Kyiv. Since then, Russia has increasingly ta

The drone struck the town's central park while many people, including families with children, were there, Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi said. An infant in a stroller and two women were among those killed, he added.

The captain was charged with violating the procedure for entering and exiting Ukraine's temporarily occupied territory with intent to harm the interests of the state, and violating the laws and customs of war.

Under a mechanism developed by Ukraine’s Infrastructure Ministry, Kyiv will compensate shipowners, operators, and charterers whose vessels fly under the Ukrainian or a foreign flag for up to 80% of the assessed damage if insurers don’t cover the risks.

On the night of Oct. 2, Russian drones struck Kyiv's Southern Bridge once again. The city closed it and Paton Bridge, restricted traffic on Metro Bridge, and was gridlocked by multi-kilometer traffic jams by morning. On the same day, Oleksii Honcharenko, a member of parliament from the opposition European Solidarity party, wrote that "we are losing the war" and need to "negotiate about everything under the sun." He proposed discussing a neutral status instead of NATO membership, making concess

Several explosions rocked the capital just before 11 p.m., with further attacks around 3 a.m. and 7 a.m., Kyiv Independent journalists on the ground reported. Ukraine's State Emergency Service (DSNS) said damage was reported in at least three districts.

The two sides are discussing a local ceasefire to allow residents to be evacuated directly to Ukrainian-controlled territory, Lubinets said on Oct. 18.

More than 1 million square meters of real estate, particularly warehouse and logistics facilities, have been destroyed or significantly damaged this year, Prime Minister Serhii Koretskyi in an interview with BBC Ukraine.

Among the children returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory is 9-year-old Stefan, who was forced to undergo military training at a school under Russian occupation, according to Bring Kids Back UA.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has yet to approve the transfer of a significant batch of Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine, Ukrainian officials and military officers told the Kyiv Independent, raising suspicions in Kyiv that Washington is deliberately withholding the weapons to pressure Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct. 19 that there are delays in providing "certain types of vital supplies," pointing a finger at the U.S. Department of Defense. "There are political

Temporary Protection Status was granted to Ukraine’s citizens on March 3, 2022, just over a week after Russia begun its full-scale war against Ukraine.

The operation involved Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, and 10th Army Corps, along with Ukrainian drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defense.

As regular Russian strikes on energy facilities leave parts of Kyiv without running water, fears are mounting that further power outages could spark a serious humanitarian and public health crisis in a city whose water and sewage system depends entirely on electricity. Kyiv’s water system is one of the city’s biggest power consumers, requiring huge amounts of electricity to draw water from the Dnipro river and pump around 700 million liters of clean water daily to households and businesses. It

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces targeted energy facilities in 11 oblasts across Ukraine.

In the Oct. 19 attack on Kyiv, at least one person was killed, and eight others were injured as Russian missiles struck Kyiv in multiple waves overnight.

Tetiana Montian, a Ukrainian-born blogger, has supported Russia's aggression against Ukraine but at the same time accused the Russian authorities of incompetence and corruption.

The overnight assault also damaged a data center in Kyiv and infrastructure in Volyn Region, where around 66,000 electricity metering points were left without power, regional officials said.

"A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Ukraine, the U.S., and Russia could help end the war sooner," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. "A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China, and the U.S. would do only the opposite: encourage Putin to continue this war."

The number includes 2,100 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

Zelensky has appealed to Washington repeatedly, making the case for additional Patriot missiles as Russia intensifies strikes against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.

"The trend this year continues," Zelensky said, "Since the start of fall, our warriors have liberated more territory than the Russians have managed to capture. The same was true at other points this year."

Trump appointee Scott Bessent insisted that no sanctions against Russia had been lifted — they had merely been waived.

"His country is in shambles, a large portion of his land is lost, his oceans and seas are gone, and his male population is low, wounded, and/or dead."

"We are very thankful for this... Now it works," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

A flying object, likely a drone, entered Lithuanian airspace and exploded on Oct. 18, sending residents to shelters and damaging a civilian vehicle, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said.

How are Ukraine’s drones disrupting Russian supply lines — and can Ukraine hold on to its advantage? Flying far behind enemy lines, “middle-strike” drones hunt the fuel, ammunition, and reinforcements Russia needs to sustain its assaults. Starlink has helped make this campaign possible, but dependence on Elon Musk’s satellite network leaves Ukraine vulnerable to restrictions on its use. The Kyiv Independent’s Francis Farrell embeds with Ukraine’s 422nd Unmanned Systems Regiment on the southern

According to the president, the U.S. and Ukraine are in "constant communication" and are preparing their "next steps in diplomacy."

This weekly update from the Kyiv Independent aims to shed light on the situation facing Ukrainians living under Russian occupation and the ever-tightening control of information imposed by the Kremlin. Key news as of Oct. 17: * Eleven Ukrainians, including 96-year-old woman, return from Russian-occupied territories, ombudsman says * Russia sends terrorism case against 6 teenagers in occupied Luhansk Oblast to court * Ukrainian troops struck Russian drone sites, ammunition depots in occupied

Key developments on Oct. 17-18 * Massive Ukrainian drone attack hits oil facility, bridge, and data center in St. Petersburg * US resumes intel sharing on Russian missile launches with Ukraine, Zelensky says * Ukraine hits Russian drone manufacturing plant in Rostov Oblast * 'Planned operation' — Zelensky confirms Ukraine's Starlink access not fully restored * Russia launches 'one of its largest attacks' on Ukraine's energy grid Ukrainian forces struck an oil terminal, a data center, and